Detour
by TheFox101
Summary: Chapter 1. August 17 1984: two Muggles are killed in their home. Their four year old daughter screams and all the glass in the house explodes. Now a magical Muggleborn orphan is without a home.


David Granger came into the living room to see his wife, Rose, reading on a chair in the corner. He smiled and walked over to kiss her on the cheek. "Where's Neenie?" he asked when he was sure he had her attention.

"Upstairs," Rose answered. "_Reading_,of all things!"

This startled David. "But she won't be four for another month!"

Rose nodded, then glanced around at the room crammed with books. "She comes by it naturally, I suppose."

"I suppose," David agreed with a shrug. "Did you hear about the—"

He never finished his sentence. With a deafening _crack! _the door flew inward. The last thing he heard, besides his wife's screams, were the words "_Morsmordre_!" and "_Avada Kedavra_!"

* * *

Hermione Granger looked up from _Cinderella_ in surprise. She couldn't read it very well yet, but she liked the pictures and she knew the story from when her Daddy read to her at bedtime. But what was that big bang?

She sat up and closed the book carefully. Mummy was reading and didn't like big bangs, and Puck was just a kitten, he couldn't make a big bang. She went up to the door and opened it just a little, like when she was letting in Puck.

There were lots of voices downstairs. There weren't supposed to be. Then there were lots of noises like pops. Then there was nothing.

Slowly, taking the steps carefully, she made her way downstairs.

"Mummy?" she called. "Daddy?" No answer. "Puck?" A little meow to the right.

"Puckle?" Another meow. The small, ginger kitten came toddling into the hallway and meowed, rubbing against her. She picked him up and cuddled him in her arms as she walked down towards the living room.

"Mummy? Daddy?"

There they were, not moving on the living room floor. She dropped Puck, who gave an outraged mew, and ran over as fast as her little legs could carry her.

"Mummy?" She shoved her mother lightly. "Daddy?"

They didn't wake up; they wouldn't wake up. She kept trying to get them to, but they wouldn't. So she did the only thing she could.

She screamed.

What happened after that was a blur. Puckle leapt into her arms again as lots of things broke. There were lots of pops and voices she had never heard before.

"What happened here?"

"Must have been Death Eaters."

"Look at the poor kid."

"Accidental magic?"

"Definitely. Muggle-born, by the looks."

"What should we do?"

"Take her to the Ministry?"

"Trainee Shacklebolt is right. Trainee Walsh, take the girl to the Ministry. Now that her magic has broken out, Wizarding Child and Family Services can take care of her."

"Yes, Auror Moody."

A woman she had never met before picked her up, Puck and all, and she felt like someone was squeezing her really hard. She had had enough that day. She cuddled Puck closer and fell asleep.

* * *

Hermione sat in a broom closet, weeping bitterly. Puck was cradled in her arms, purring as loud as he could in an effort to calm her. But it was no use; she just hugged him closer and cried harder.

The nice redheaded woman who had brought her here—she had said her name was Anne—had explained that Hermione's parents had to go very far away, and they couldn't come back ever, but they loved her very much.

The people here had given her weird clothes to wear and waved funny sticks around and she didn't like it. Someone in a blue funny robe had taken her and Puck to this big room where lots of people started arguing about something called "custody" and "placement".

Hermione, scared, had run out and found this closet and started to cry. No one had noticed.

And _she _didn't even notice when the closet door opened, she was crying so hard.

"Hello there," a voice said kindly. "I thought you might like some company. It must be awfully lonely, crying in a closet."

Startled, Hermione looked up. It was a man with brown hair that had lots of blonde in it, like her Mum's, and he had blue eyes. He was smiling at her the same way her Daddy did when he fixed a scrape. Hermione liked this man instantly.

He stooped down until he was at her height.

"My name is Remus," he said, still in that soft, kind voice, "But you can call me Moony if you like. What's yours?"

"Neenie," she said shyly. Puck scrambled out from behind her and pounced at the man, jumping at his leg and mewing. Hermione giggled a little through her tears. "That means he likes you."

Remus reached down and pet the kitten between the ears. "I'd hate to see what he does to people he doesn't like."

"He bites them," Hermione replied.

"Good cat," Remus said with approval, making Hermione giggle again. She reached up a hand to wipe at her tears.

"Why are you crying, Neenie?" Remus asked. She told him about her Mummy and Daddy, how they went away, and about all the scary people. She was crying harder when she was done.

* * *

Remus Lupin had no idea what to do with a crying kid, so he did what had worked on Harry. He made soothing noises and sat down, ignoring the fact that they were in a closet. He hugged her and pulled her into his lap, and he let her cry into his robes. He looked down at the little brown head pillowed against his chest and a thought hit him.

"Do you want to hear what my mother used to do when I was upset?" he asked her gently. His robes were still getting wet from her tears but she nodded.

_Well, here goes nothing._

Remus took a few deep breaths and hummed a few bars. The song was meant for a woman to sing, but it transferred fine to a man.

_Why are there so many songs about rainbows_

_And what's on the other side?_

_Rainbows are visions, but only illusions_

_And rainbows have nothing to hide_

_So we've been told and some choose to believe it_

_I know they're wrong, wait and see_

_Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me_

Her sobs started to quiet as he kept going in a low, soothing voice.

_Who said that every wish would heard and be answered_

_When wished on a morning star?_

_Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it_

_Look what it's done so far_

_What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing,_

_And what do we think we might see?_

_Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me_

She was down to a soft whimper now; her breaths were coming easier and quieter.

_All of us under its spell_

_We know that it's probably magic_

_Have you been half-asleep, and have you heard voices?_

_I've heard them calling my name_

_Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailor?_

_The voice might be one and the same_

Her crying had quieted so much you could hear Puck's purring between verses.

_I've heard it too many times to ignore it_

_It's something that I'm supposed to be_

_Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me..._

She wasn't crying anymore, just sitting in his lap.

"Better now?" he asked when the last note died away. She nodded.

"I know that this is all new and scary, but the people in the courtroom are only trying to help, okay?" She nodded again.

Remus stood up and hefted her into his arms so that she sat on his hip with her arms around his neck. He tucked one arm securely around her and cradled Puck in the other.

"Do you remember which way you came?"

"Yes," she answered softly, and pointed to the left.

_Eidetic memory,_ he thought musingly. _Interesting._

He knew the Ministry well enough to know there was only one courtroom down that hallway and so that was where he went. Sure enough, when he opened the door everyone was rushing around looking for—

"There she is!" someone said, and a light-haired man in a blue WCFS robe came over and took her out of his arms, setting her roughly on the floor and grabbing her shoulders. "That was very bad of you, Hermione! You're not supposed to do that."

"Hey, she's just a child and she's scared. Give her a break," Remus snapped.

The man looked up like he obviously thought Remus was no more than dirt beneath his shoe, but he released Neenie.

There was a crowd of what looked like Death Eaters to the side, so it was obvious that they thought to kill two birds with one stone and get Neenie's custody case over with as quickly as possible.

_Which is most likely. I doubt the entire Wizengamot would preside over an child's custody hearing. _He caught Dumbledore's eye and gave a little wave.

Cornelius Fudge straightened his bowler and stared down his nose at Neenie, who looked positively tiny in the middle of the massive courtroom.

"Very well, the Wizengamot has decided to grant custody to Lucius Malfoy. Does anyone object to this decision?"

_Lucius Malfoy?!_

Remus felt bile rising to his throat. The mere _thought _of that adorable little girl in Malfoy Manor made him sick. He looked at the pale blonde man standing not far off.

_Why would Malfoy want a Muggle-born orphan anyway?_

Then he looked closer and saw the hungry gleam in Malfoy's eyes. Obviously he was seeing the newspaper articles in his mind's eye:

**_Lucius Malfoy Adopts Poor Muggle-born Orphan!_**

**_Lucius Malfoy To Run For Minister!_**

**_Minister of Magic: Lucius Malfoy..._**

Remus shook his head in disgust.

"I object."

He didn't realize the words had come out of his mouth until everyone looked at him. Even as they did he set his jaw and stepped forward, ignoring the voice in the back of his head saying he had no business doing this and—no matter how adorable—the little girl wasn't his problem.

"The court recognizes Remus Lupin," Dumbledore said, the twinkle in his eye very pronounced.

"I object," Remus repeated more clearly, "and nominate myself as guardian for this child."

A murmur swept over the court, mostly pleased.

Lucius Malfoy sneered. "I would like to announce to this court that this man is also a werewolf."

It took all of Remus's willpower not to growl at the man. As it was he simply smiled, being sure to show all of his teeth. "There's no law against it, Mr. Malfoy."

"This is true," Dumbledore assented as Minister Fudge sputtered. "At this time, there is no law forbidding a werewolf adopting a child."

"I can offer her safety and the prestigious Malfoy name!" Lucius hissed. The Minister looked very close to ruling in favor of Malfoy.

"What's her name, Mr. Malfoy?" Remus asked mildly.

"Excuse me?"

"Her name, Mr. Malfoy, what is it? Or her nickname? Or the name of her kitten?" he asked.

Lucius frowned. "It is Harmony. I fail to see what you are getting at."

Remus felt his eyes turn cold. "Her name, Mr. Malfoy, is not _Harmony_, it's Hermione. She's called Neenie, and her kitten's name is Puck. I may not be able to offer her a prestigious name, _Mr. Malfoy_, but at least I will remember hers."

Lucius's mouth disappeared into a thin line and he glared.

"Do you have a job, Mr. Lupin?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling brighter than ever.

"I do," he answered, addressing the elder wizard, "at a Muggle bookshop not far from my home. I have a house that I own and an income. A friend can take her on full moons when I lock myself in my safe room."

"You seem to have thought this out carefully," Dumbledore said approvingly, and turned to murmur with the jury.

_Not really,_ Remus answered in his thoughts. _I'm flying the broom by the seat of my pants at this point. I don't even know why I'm fighting so hard, except perhaps that Malfoy deserves a daughter like that about as much as he deserves an Order of Merlin._

"All in favor to hand guardianship to the wizard Remus Lupin?" Dumbledore asked. The majority of the Wizengamot raised their hands, with a few exceptions.

"Congratulations, Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore finished, giving Remus a nod and a wink that was little more than a twitch of his eyelid.

Remus made his way over to the WCFS wizard, grinning broadly. He went down on his knees so he was eye to eye with Hermione, who was looking more confused than ever and close to crying again.

"Do I have to go with the scary man, Moony?" she asked, obviously proud she had gotten his name right but equally scared. He followed her line of sight to Lucius Malfoy, who was gripping his cane so hard his knuckles were white.

"No," he answered, "you're coming home with me."

Her face brightened and she smiled for almost the first time since she met him. Puck ran between Remus's legs and over to Malfoy, biting the wizard on the ankle sharply. Malfoy yelped and raised his can to swat at the kitten but Remus arrived there first and picked Puck up.

"Don't touch this cat," he ordered, his eyes boring into Malfoy's. Malfoy, clearly unnerved, lowered the cane and gave one last sneering glare before turning sharply on his heel and marching out.

"Headmaster," Remus greeted with a smile and a respectful bow of his head as Dumbledore appeared in front of him.

"Hello Remus," Dumbledore smiled back and then looked down at Neenie, who hid behind Remus's legs at the sight of him with just her eyes peering around. "And hello, Hermione. My name is Albus Dumbledore."

A giggle from behind Remus's legs. She obviously thought it was a silly name.

Dumbledore nodded gravely, though his eyes sparkled with amusement. "It _is _a rather amusing name."

Movement from the side with the Death Eaters alerted them to the start of the next trial. Remus looked at the expressions on the faces, then down at Hermione, and picked her up.

"We should be going, Professor," he said to Dumbledore.

"Very well," Dumbledore replied and held out his hand, "I hope to be seeing more of you, Remus. You always were one of my favorite students."

Remus resisted the childish urge to blush at the compliment.

"Thank you, Professor," he said, and shook the outstretched hand. He felt something slide into his palm but before he could see it Dumbledore was gone.

He waited until he was out of the courtroom before opening it.

_**Remus,**_

**_Congratulations on your new acquisition. I would like to announce to you the presence of a trust fund for Muggle-born orphans, set up by the Ministry, which can be accessed by their legal guardians and is refilled on a semi-regular basis. I hope that you make use of it._**

**_Also, it would be desirable to all parties that you refrain from arriving back at your place of residence until after four o'clock this afternoon._**

_**Sincerely,**_

_**AD**_

Puzzled and confused, but willing to trust the Headmaster, Remus shook his head. He looked down at Hermione, still resting in his arms, to see her looking back up at him, her right thumb in her mouth. Puck was looking at him as well.

"All right, you two, how about we go get some new clothes? And then maybe we can go to the park..."

* * *

The park was an excellent idea, Remus decided almost as soon as they got there. It was a park close to his home, with lots of interesting things for kids Neenie's age to play with. He could already see several other children playing at the swings and the slides.

Neenie, on the other hand, made her way over to the sandbox, which had only one other occupant. Remus kept half an eye on them while stroking Puck, who had decided to take a nap on his leg. Pulling a book out of his pocket he settled in to read.

His reading was interrupted a little while later by a young shout and a scream. Puck hissed and darted off the bench and over to the sandbox, where he proceeded to hiss and spit at a blonde toddler. The boy—who more resembled a beach ball with hair, really—had shoved over the unknown occupant of the sandbox, whose face was hidden by a sweatshirt hood, and was pulling Hermione's hair.

Remus and two women all got there at the same instant; he grabbed Hermione, a blonde woman snatched up the blond toddler, and the other held the unknown.

"It's all right, Neenie, nothing's seriously hurt..."

"Dudley, did they hurt you?"

"Shh, Greeneyes, all better..."

_Green eyes? _Remus thought distractedly as he calmed Hermione and Puck at the same time.

The blonde woman looked scathingly at him and the other woman, as if positive that her child had done nothing wrong and that it was all their fault. Remus stood up, Hermione on one hip, and extended his hand to her.

"Hello," he said politely, "my name is Remus Lupin. This is Hermione. I think your son should apologize to her."

The woman shook his hand and quickly let it go, like it was infected or something.

"Petunia Dursley." She sniffed regally. "And Dudley will do no such thing. What sort of name is Hermione, anyway?"

"A good name," he answered, a tad coldly.

Mrs. Dursley sniffed again and them looked at the other woman. "You'll keep him until six, then?" she asked.

"Of course," the woman answered. She had a pleasant voice, Remus noted. Mrs. Dursley nodded frostily at them and walked away, the squalling Dudley screaming that he wanted sweets.

"You nasty gossiper," the other woman continued in a soft voice meant only for her own ears (Remus was a werewolf, he heard everything), "may you fall down the stairs and bite your tongue out."

Remus carefully did not laugh, tempting as it was.

"Remus Lupin," he introduced himself again, this time extending his hand to the unknown woman. "And as I said, this is Hermione."

"Pericula Grant," she answered, shaking his hand and smiling warmly. "Oh, and this is Harry."

She tugged down the toddler's hood to reveal a black-topped, green-eyed face. Remus stopped breathing. He knelt so he was eye to eye with the boy, forgetting to let go of Hermione's hand.

"Hello Harry," he said, he voice cracking a little on the first word. "Do you remember me?"

Until then the little boy had been looking at him like an interesting puzzle; now his face cleared and lit up with a bright smile. "Moony!" He hugged Remus tightly.

Remus hugged back just as fiercely, holding closely to the last remnants of Lily and James. Ms. Grant looked confused. Once he had finished hugging Harry and had reluctantly let go to let him go back to playing the sandbox with Hermione he turned to her.

"Harry's father was a very good friend of mine," he told her. "His parents were killed three years ago and I never knew what happened to him until just now."

"Oh," Ms. Grant said, her face smoothing out of a frown and into a smile, "That's why he looked so happy to see you. What was that name he called you?"

"Moony," Remus replied, slightly embarrassed. "It's my nickname. His father, myself, and our two other friends all had them. He couldn't say my real name. Would you like to sit, Ms. Grant?"

"If we're on nicknames, please call me Danger," she said as they both took a seat on a bench nearby and watched the two build a castle, and then watched as Puck pounced and knocked it down.

"Danger?" Remus wracked his brain. "Because of Pericula?"

"Partly," Danger answered. "Mostly because of an incident in my childhood involving roller skates, several friends, and lots of sharp gravel."

Remus let out a bark of surprised laughter, which Danger joined with her own laugh. He liked her laugh, he decided. It was warm and invited you to join in. He liked the way she looked too. She was pretty, but in a bookish way, with curly brown hair cut short and warm brown eyes.

They talked for a long time, finding common interest in books and music. She was nice to talk to, both charming and amiable. When the kids both came to their respective guardian and, in Danger's case, sitter, their parted; but not before exchanging numbers and addresses.

"Come on, kiddo." Remus said to Hermione, who was yawning in his arms.

_Not surprising. The poor girl's had a tough couple of days._

When Remus got home with child and kitten he wasn't sure he had the right house. It wasn't anything big or surprising; nothing that would stand out. The paint outside wasn't chipping, the wood inside was better. There were no leaks, some appliances were new, some furniture.

Remus actually put Hermione and Puck down and walked outside.

_Seventeen Oxman Road, Cold Crossing, Surrey. Yup._

He looked at his watch: 5:00.

_Dumbledore,_ he thought wryly, and accepted it: for now. He didn't like taking charity.

He walked back inside and Hermione ran right up to him.

"My room! My room is here!" She grabbed his hand and tugged, leading him upstairs and to a room that had before been an empty room. Now it was, according to Hermione, a replica of hers, even her clothes.

Shaking his head like a dog, he went back downstairs. A new safe room had been set up in the basement, complete with charms that had the distinct feel of Dumbledore.

_Thank you,_ Remus thought, though he knew Dumbledore couldn't hear him. It made him feel better. _This helps, a lot. But we're going to talk._

For now, he had dinner to make. There was a sudden crash from the pantry and Remus saw a mini-mushroom cloud of flour go up, followed by an indignant, "_Puck!_"

Shaking his head, he went to go get adjusted to life with a toddler.

* * *

Asleep in her bedroom of the house she had inherited from her parents when they died two years ago, Pericula Grant dreamed.

* * *

A/n: This borrows heavily from Living With Danger, by Whydoyouneedtoknow. Also, thank you MercuryBlue for the beta! (Anne, this is because you said you needed a new story ;))

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


End file.
